Review by David Israel
Photos by Bryce Hall & Jesse DeFlorio

While a few among the 40,000+ people at Petco Sunday night may consider themselves the broken, the beaten, and the damned, everyone may have felt saved by My Chemical Romance’s theatrical two-set performance. The storied band built an entire interactive world, transporting attendees to the fictional authoritarian Draag - complete with its own full national anthem - as ruled by His Grand Immoral Dictator with the help of his Secretary (who took over the throne for this show - part of a longer storytelling arc) and Clerk.

Before even entering the long lore of The Black Parade, Japanese Kawaii-metal sensations BabyMetal kicked things off with their unique blend of metal and J-pop style choreography. The three leads, in combat boots and hero-style dresses, were backed by mask-wearing instrumentalists. “RATATATA,” “Pa Pa Ya!,” and “Gimme Chocolate!!” were all incredibly well received, and the theatrical elements prepped the crowd for what was to come.

When the lights finally dimmed, the band - fully decked out in their Black Parade attire - interwove a complete rendition of the album through the performance, with leader Gerard Way interacting with the government actors, leading democracy (a vote as to whether the prisoners should be executed for pestering without a license; spoiler alert, they were), and helping to immerse the passionate crowd in his world, belting his hits from a podium as if they were political speeches, or from the stage floor writhing at a protest. The beauty of a band playing an entire beloved album start to finish is that you know exactly what you’re going to get; however, the theatricality and all-encapsulating nature of the performance made it anything but predictable. To wit, they literally burned it all down to end the set, leaving the stage aflame and setting the scene for the next show’s continued narrative.

The Black Parade ended with Gerard’s murder at the hands of the Clerk, leading the band in to the B-set that leaned into the metal influences, with “Planetary Go!,” “Our Lady of Sorrow,” “Deathwish,” and “Thank You for the Venom.” The B set has been providing a rotating set list throughout the tour, and has showcased the band setting aside their stoic Black Parade personas to have fun and let it rip; the Way brothers were playing off of one another, with Ray Toro and Frank Iero letting their personalities shine.

Another titanic performance from the emo sensations. You can go ahead and scroll through the photos below to absorb the big highlights.